Haiti - Politic : Youri Latortue in favor of the lifting of immunity for peacekeepers
The Senator Youri Latortue, President of the Senate Committee on "justice and public safety" has informed Friday that two draft resolutions on the immunity of members of the UN Mission for Stabilization in Haiti (Minsutah) and the progressive departure of peacekeepers from the UN mission, are ready to be submitted to the next Assembly [tomorrow Tuesday]. The Senator confirmed that he asked the President of the Assembly to include the two draft resolutions to the agenda.
The first resolution proposes that the privileges and immunities granted to UN peacekeepers are reviewed and limited to acts performed in the exercise of their function. Concerning the acts constituting a crime outside the framework of their duties, the draft resolution proposes that this immunity be lifted upon simple request of the complaining party so that the peacekeepers accused, can be held accountable before the Haitian justice. It is mentioned that the United Nations will have to assume all costs of the lawyers in charge of defending the interests of the complaining party. Finally the project specifies that in case of condemnation, the UN must provide compensation to victims.
The second draft resolution proposes the gradual withdrawal of UN peacekeepers of the country over a period of three years from the date of the next renewal of the mandate of the Minustah [October 15]. A resolution which is consistent with the decision of the Ministers of Defence and Foreign Affairs of the nine South American Nations (UNASUR), who gathered Thursday in Montevideo [Uruguay] to propose to the Security Council "a strategy of gradual withdrawal of the military component" without specifying a timetable for withdrawal.
